The traveling musician with a hypnotic voice and hundreds of stories to share.
Thank you to @hirodraga for this beautiful reference sheet of Alec! We adjusted her normal outfit a little and Iâm so much happier with how she looks now. All of the details are so perfect in both outfits, and I especially love how cute Ravah looks on the side!
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The former Count Lucioâs favorite band has traveled far and wide, from the Northern-most reaches of Prakra, to the Frozen Sea in the south and beyond, but now call Vesuvia home. Well-known and beloved, itâs not unusual to see them performing for any event at the Palace, or even just on the streets of the marketplace.
Just wanted to put them all together in one post! I canât recommend @hirodraga enough, I had such a good time working with them to put these sheets together and they all came out better than I had imagined!
In which, after a restless night, Alec heads to the marketplace on her own, to meet up with the Countessâs escort and make her way to the Palace.
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Title: Careful, Kid by The Staves
2.9k words
As she expected and feared, Alecâs sleep was filled with nightmares.
Everything was red. She could only see fire, smell smoke, hear crying and wailing all around her. And she could never see who was crying, no matter how hard she tried. But they always cried for her. Sometimes she was on an island. Sometimes, she was trapped under burning wood. Sometimes she was smallâlittle hands balled into fists, banging on the walls around herâsometimes she was grown, but she was always trapped, unable to move and help, the heat building, crushing her.
And when she screamed for help, the names she called for were taken on the wind, snatched from her before they left her tongue.
This time, however, something felt different, and as she tried to dig herself out of the trap she was in, she heard a roar in the distance. Fear spiked in her chest, but before she could prepare herself for anything, another roar blew the wood trapping her away, and she was suddenly exposed, the fire gone.
Instead, she was sitting in the middle of a desert, the wailing silenced, sand stirring around her feet. When she turned her head, Asra was running towards her, and a creature she knew in her heart that she knew, ran alongside him.
âAllie!â Asra fell to his knees in the sand next to her, cupping her face in his hands. ââ brought me here, he said you were having a nightmare.â
Though the name he said didnât stay in Alecâs mind, she knew he was talking about the creature, who paced around both of them, hackles raised as it looked beyond them. Bright orange fur bristled, and on instinct, Alec reached out, and stroked between the creatureâs big, fluffy ears. It stopped pacing, looking at her with warm brown eyes, nuzzling its head further into her hand.
âI always have nightmares,â she said, not looking at Asra. âEspecially when youâre gone.â She didnât mean for it to come out as mean as it did, but it was the truth.
His hands fell from her face, and she heard the hurt in his voice. âI thought they had stopped.â
âThey arenât every day, like they used to be.â She kept petting the creature, and eventually it laid its head in her lap, huffing contentedly. âBut they never stopped.â
They fell into silence, the sand blowing around them. Alec had been having nightmares for the past three years. At first, they were every day, to the point where she would refuse to go to sleep, forcing herself awake for days a time. Eventually, they stopped being as frequent, but whenever her head hurt a lot during the day, Alec knew that meant she would have another nightmare when she slept, though she was almost never able to remember them when she woke up.
When it seemed like the creature was asleep in her lap, Alec looked up at Asra. He was watching her, a distant look in his eyes.
âAsra, where are we?â
He shrugged. âThis is your dream. Weâre somewhere in your memories.â Glancing around them, he paused. âWell, actually, this might be a merged place of both our memories.â
âBoth our memories?â
With a nod, he pointed behind her. âLook.â
She did and saw a hut on the horizon. It was too far for her to see many details, but there was a fence to the side of it, and she could hear animals calling. Looking at it, she felt a deep, deep sorrow, but heard the sound of people laughing, and laughed along with them despite herself.
âWhat is thatââ Facing Asra again, she stopped when she saw another hut behind him. This one was bigger than the first, the front of it almost completely covered in plants. The creature that had been in her lap was standing in front of the hut, waving its orange tail. Behind the hut was a small oasis, palm trees bending in the wind. From this hut, music played, a song she knew in her heart, the lyrics leaving her tongue without a thought. Tears sprung to her eyes, and a horribly homesick feeling washed over her.
Standing, she started to walk towards the hut, but it shimmered, like a mirage, and she paused. When she turned again, there was yet another hut, the smallest of the three, and Asra stood in front of it.
âThis is mine.â He was a long way in the distance, yet his voice still sounded like it was next to her. âMy part of the memory. The others are yours.â
âAs.â Alecâs cheeks were wet, and she wrapped her arms around herself, storm clouds gathering above her head. âWhere are we?â
âFar from home.â
Her voice wavered. âWhere is home?â
âYouâre home, Allie. To me, you are home.â
A sob broke from Alecâs chest and thunder rumbled. âWhere is my home? Where are you? Where is my family?â As rain started to fall around her, mixing with her tears, she felt her feet leave the sand, her body rising into the air. âWhy did you all leave me alone?â Her voice rose, echoing across the desert around her, stirring up enough sand to erase all three huts, and Asra, from her sight.
Something bumped into her leg, and she glanced down to see the creature looking up at her. It put its paw on her foot, and slowly, she floated back to the ground, holding its gaze. When she was seated again, it pressed its forehead to hers, and she closed her eyes, hearing its voice in her head.
I know you are frustrated. Soon, there will be a crossroads.
âHow soon? Where will they go?â
It depends on which one you take.
âWhich one should I take?â
A pause. I canât tell you that, cub.
âRavah,â she whispered, the name leaving her lips before she could think it, as her hands dug into soft fur. âIâm scared.â
She felt a sense of calm wash over her, the darkness behind her eyes deepening.
I know. But youâll be okay. We are all waiting for you.
Who is âwe,â she wanted to ask, but she was slipping into a deep sleep faster than she could control.
Sleep, the voice, Ravah, said, and Alec did.
When she woke up, the sun just beginning to rise, she remembered none of her dream, thankful that at least her head wasnât hurting. She knew from the dried tears on her cheeks that she had been in another nightmare, but as long as she didnât remember it, that was fine with her.
***
Wrapping her pink dupatta around her head, Alec stuck as close to the shadows as she could while she traveled to the marketplace. The scent of myrrh was still following her from when she left the shop, and though it was normally an earthy, comforting smell, it had her on edge. Her head felt a bit loose, like it normally did whenever she had a lapse in memory, and it had frightened her enough to double-back to the shop, afraid she had forgotten to lock it.
She was already nauseous over the thought of traversing the marketplace to meet up with the escort the Countess would be sending; she didnât need the added anxiety on her shoulders of the thought that someone else could break into the shop while she was gone.
The sun was still rising steadily when she reached the marketplace, and aside from the vendors, it was almost empty. Thankful that the marketplace was still fairly quiet, she ducked into Selasiâs bakery, sighing blissfully when the myrrh in her nose was replaced with the scent of baked goods. She smelled pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and though her nerves were jittery from being in the marketplace at all, the smell and warmth of the bakery gave her some comfort.
âAlec?â Selasi walked over to her, glancing around them as he wiped his hands on his apron. âYou came by yourself this morning?â
âUm, yeah, I did. AsraâsâŚâ She paused, and Selasi gave her a soft smile.
âOn another one of his mysterious adventures?â
She nodded, hand falling to her side to fiddle with the golden tassels that hung around her hip. âYeah.â
Selasi nodded in response, a thoughtful hum on his lips. Aside from Asra, Selasi was the only person in the city that Alec could stand to spend time with. She assumed it had something to do with the smell of his food, in the past three years, nothing made her feel more at home and comfortable than the smell of the bakery, or the taste of his pumpkin bread.
Often, Asra would leave Alec in the bakery while he went around the rest of the marketplace, and she would be content to watch the baker as he worked. He even let her help every once in a while, and one time, when Asra was gone, Selasi had let it slip that he knew Alec, before the accident.
When she froze in her spot, fearing a backlash of some sort, he had just continued on, telling her about her own pumpkin bread recipe, and how distinct the two of them were. Distinct, but equally delicious, he claimed.
âIf you ever ran your own bakery, Iâd be in trouble,â he said, and winked at her, and she smiledâfor once, her head not hurting over a memory being given back to her.
Selasiâs hand on hers brought her back to the present, and she glanced down to see a cup filled with hot chocolate. As she gave him a small smile of thanks, he put his hands on his hips, raising a dark eyebrow. âNow, what mysterious adventure could you be on that would bring you to the marketplace on your own, hm?â
Right. The Palace. Alec took a careful sip of her drink, watching steam rise from the cup. âI⌠Well, when the Countess herself shows up at your door inviting you to the palace, you canât exactly say no.â She tried to laugh, but it came out shakier than she meant it to, mouth settling into a frown.
âShe did?â Selasi whistled, walking back towards the oven. âI guess that would explain the rumors that have been traveling around the vendors this morning.â
âRumors?â
âWell, for one, a carriage from the palace was seen late last night leaving Center City, and this morning, the Countessâs head servant, Portia, has been about the marketplace. Are you supposed to be meeting anyone?â
Taking another sip, Alec nodded. âThe Countess said she would send an escort to meet me; help me get to the palace.â
âIâd bet that would be Portia.â Opening the oven, Selasi pulled out a few loaves of pumpkin bread, and set one aside, handing it to Alec. âHere. Iâm sure you havenât eaten yet.â
Cheeks warm, Alec took the bread, breaking off a piece. âNot yet. How did you know?â
âI just had a feeling you would be stopping by, and when youâre all twisted up with nerves, you tend not to eatâyou and Asra both, to be fair.â He laughed, shaking his head. âYou two would always show up halfway through the day with rumbling stomachs and wide eyes.â
Alec paused at that, a small twinge of pain going through her head. He was referring to the before, when she was someone else. It reminded her that she really didnât know just how long she had been friends with Asra. He would never give her a time, just that he had known her before the accident. That knowledge made her sad, and she focused on her bread again, trying to bury her thoughts before they dug deeper into her memories and only hurt her more.
If Selasi noticed her wince, he didnât comment on it, only steering the conversation elsewhere, and Alec was grateful for it.
All too soon, she finished the bread and hot chocolate, and as she slid a few coins into the pocket of Selasiâs apronâit was a bit of a game they played, slipping money back and forth so the other wouldnât noticeâhe pointed out the bakery window.
âThere she is! Thatâs Portia, just across the way.â
Alecâs heart leapt into her throat as she turned to look, and through the steady current of people passing by, she saw a head of bright red hair. Portia, she assumed, was talking to some of the vendors across the street. Before she could talk herself out of it, Selasi pushed her to the door, and she was out in the marketplace again.
Swallowing hard, Alec pulled her dupatta even tighter around her face, and dug her fingers into her skirt, stepping into the flow of people, carefully making her way over to Portia. The shorter woman was balancing a basket of pomegranates on her hip as Alec approached, and spoke to herself, counting errands off on her fingers.
âUmââ Alec started, but it didnât seem like she heard her. âExcuse meââ
Still mumbling to herself, Portia took a step back, not seeing Alec, and bumped into her, the pomegranates spilling into the street.
âOh, perfect,â Portia groaned, sinking to the ground. âAs if I wasnât already late.â
Biting her lip, Alec crouched down next to her, working quickly to grab the runaway fruits before they were all trampled or lost. When she grabbed the last one and turned back to Portia to hand it to her, she was surprised to see her already staring at Alec, a warm smile on her face, blue eyes crinkled at the corners.
âYou didnât have to do that, you know. I bumped into you, after all.â
Alec shrugged, feeling a warmth spread across her cheeks. âI was trying to get your attention, and I guess, in a roundabout, inconvenient way, it worked.â
âOoh, you were trying to get my attention, huh?â Portiaâs smile spread into a grin, and she stood, holding her hand out to Alec. âWell, you definitely have it now, honey. How can I help you?â
Taking her hand, Alec noticed how strong her grip was, the callouses on her hands. For the Countessâs favorite servant, she seemed used to hard work, something Alec admired. When she finally tore her gaze from Portiaâs hand, she cleared her throat.
âYou⌠you are Portia, arenât you?â
Portia nodded. âYep!â
âSelasi pointed you out, I, uh, I think Iâm supposed to meet you. To head to ââ
âAh!â Portiaâs surprised yell cut her off. âYouâre Alec, right?â
âY-yesââ
âWow, you really are just like Miri described.â Portia grinned, reaching out to tap the beauty mark on Alecâs chin lightly. âDown to the details.â
Alec was sure her face was bright red, but she just nodded. âS-so, the palace, the Countessââ
Adjusting the basket on her hip again, Portia turned. âCome on, I know the fastest way to the palace.â
***
Maybe three-years-ago-Alec would have thought differently, but today-Alec was sure she had never climbed more stairs in her life.
She wasnât by any means weak, she could still lift Asra over her head with little effort, but the repetition of climbing stairs was starting to take its toll on her, her body crying with every step she took. Portia took pity on her, letting her rest a few times on their ascent, but she never seemed to lose energy.
As the sky began to darken, they reached the top of the stairs, the Palace looming in front of them.
Before they had even reached the gates, Alecâs head began to ache, and she stumbled back, tipping dangerously close to the stairs.
âWhoa!â Portia grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. âAre you alright?â
Alec pressed her hand to her forehead, gritting her teeth. âIâm⌠I think Iâm just dehydrated, IâŚâ
With a shaking breath, she held her hand out, and focused hard on pulling water from the air into her palm. Bringing it to her mouth to drink, she closed her eyes for a moment. The headache eased, but only slightly. It was enough for her to right herself again, and she turned to apologize to Portia, but her blue eyes were wide, staring at Alec as if she had just transformed into something mystical.
âWow!â
âUm.â Alec tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. âSorry.â
âDonât be, that was amazing!â Portia laughed. âYou know, Alec, Iâm glad youâre here.â
âR-really?â
They continued to walk towards the Palace gates, and Portia nodded. âThe Countess needs good help, and well, you definitely seem like good help.â
Gods, I hope so, Alec thought, but she just smiled at Portia. âThank you. And thank you for leading me here in the first place. I donât know if I could have made it by myself.â
âOh, you would have been fine!â Portia glanced behind them. âI know those stairs can be pretty tough, but youâre pretty tough yourself.â She gave Alec a wink, and Alec felt her cheeks warm again.
She hadnât meant the stairs, really. Alec was sure that if she had been made to go to the Palace alone, she just would not have gone, the sheer volume of the crowds of people milling about enough to spark her anxiety. It would have only taken a rogue glance, or a whisper from one passerby, to convince Alec that she would be better holed up in her shop, like she always was.
Before she could think of anything to say in reply, Portia was introducing her to the two guards at the gate, Ludovico and Bludmila, and they were opening the gates for her and Portia.
And then there was nothing between them and the Palace, and Alecâs head throbbed.
Had to get a Modern Fashion Charm of Alec!!! Thank you so much @sad-arcana-au for this beautiful art I am really so in love with it 𼰠even got to feature Ravah!!
In which, Jamil, Camia, Leon, and Asra experience the worst almost two years of their lives, from the time Alec dies at the Lazaret, to nine months after her resurrection, when the rest of the band has to leave her behind in Vesuvia.
General CW for all fics: Death, depression, mention of abuse
21,503 total words
The Witching Hour â Alecâs death and immediate aftermath, Leonâs POV
January â The year after, Leonâs POV
Long Time Sun â The year after, Camiaâs POV
What Love Can Heartbreak Allow? â The year after, Jamilâs POV
Lâultima Notte â Alecâs resurrection and recovery, Ravahâs POV
The One Who Stayed and the One Who Left â A short extra; after moving to the hut in the Catclaw Desert, Jamil decides to go off on his own.
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This is the last part of my series about Alecâs death, this time from her familiar, Ravahâs POV.Â
In which, Alec is back, but something is wrong, and while Jamil, Camia, Leon, and Asra all argue amongst themselves as how to help her, Ravah goes to Alec herself to get some answers.
There will be an interlude of sorts from Miriamâs POV before Alecâs prologue starts!
Title: Lâultima Notte by Josh Groban
4.9k words
It was in times like these that Ravah wished he was human. That wasnât a wish that happened very often, as he truly detested most humans, but now, when the only thing standing between him and Alec was the city, he wished it, even if it was only in a very small corner of his heart.
He had been patrolling the city for a year, wandering to the desert and back, waiting for the rest of the band to finally leave. It wasnât that he missed them, no matter what Fiasharya said, he didnât, he just missed Alec, and they were the closest things left to her. But then, he had woken up in the middle of the night, and she was back.
It didnât make sense.
When she died, he had been in Nopal with Asra, watching them as Alec had asked him to do. At first, Asra had been angry that he followed them to Nopal, angrier still with Alec over whatever argument they had finished when he left, but they quickly settled into having him accompany them, and their familiar, Faust.
He had felt when she passed, felt it ripple through his very soul as her last cry echoed across the desert. Though he never normally entered Asraâs hut, much preferring to sleep outside, he had all but tore Asra from the bed, racing them both back to Vesuvia. He had even entered the city, riding in the boat as the magician rowed to that horrid, stinking island, where they both found nothing but Alecâs bones to cradle.
Ravah didnât cry. He couldnât, for one, not in the way humans could. But his heart could break, and it did when she was gone.
And now, she was back, and his heart ached.
He paced the limits of the city, furious with himself for not being able to just go in and see her, just do itâitâs not like it would be hard to find her, he could trace her across the world. It was just the city. And he hated cities.
The fur on the back of his neck stood up as he heard a familiar flapping, and he bit back a growl as Fiasharya landed on the ground next to him.
You need to go see her.
I know.
Fish shook her head, red eyes staring unblinkingly at him. Something is wrong. My baby is upset, the rest of them are upset, and not even Missy knows whatâs wrong. She doesnât know any of them.
Not even Missy knew what was wrong? What do you mean?
Alec doesnât remember any of them.
***
Ravah waited until the moon was at its highest before finally making his way through the city. Selfishly, he was glad that so many had fled the plague, if the city was at its busiest, he never would be able to make it to Alec on his own.
It was harder to find her than he expected, what with the overwhelming smell of death and cloud of ash that settled over the city, but eventually he made it, just as the sky started to shift from inky blackness to blue.
He stepped to the front door, and before he could attempt to figure out how to open it, it swung open, and the young magician, Asra, was standing in the doorway.
âFish said you would be coming.â They stood aside, and he walked in, trying to fight back the anxiety he felt at being inside, feeling trapped. It helped that the shop smelled like Alec, as well as the rest of the band, at least.
The shop was quiet, everyone else most likely asleep, and Asra led Ravah up some stairs, down a short hallway, to what he could only assume was Alecâs room by the smell.
âSheâs barely woken up since I brought her back,â Asra whispered as they opened her door, and Ravah thought they said it more to themself than him. He didnât even know what that meant, they had brought her back. Back from where?
Shaking his head, he stepped past them. It didnât matter right now. What mattered was that Alec was alive, and she was sleeping on her bed as if nothing had happened. As if she hadnât been dead for a year, the longest, hardest year of his life.
He curled up next to her on the bed almost immediately, lying his head on her chest to feel her breathe under him. Asra watched him from the doorway, and as Ravah lay in silence, he noticed the slow, soft beating of her heart, unfamiliar to him. It was closer to the magicianâs heart, and that didnât make any sense to him.
Closing his eyes, he decided that now was not the time to worry about it, he could worry again in the morning. For now, all he wanted was to sleep by her side again.
And he did, slipping into sleep more easily than he had in a very long time.
He hadnât even meant to walk into her dreams, it just happened.
The darkness around him faded into afternoon sun, and his paws landed on soft sand, a light whistle of wind ruffling his fur as he walked. In the distance, a small house sat in the middle of seemingly nowhere, plainly colored, but it was familiar.
It was Alecâs parentâs house, and this was her magical gate.
He had often visited her gate with her when she was younger, and they used to train with her magic to make sure it wouldnât affect anyone else. As much as he insisted it would be more beneficial to her if she practiced on real people, she refused.
Shaking his head, he kept padding towards the house. That wasnât a frustration to focus on now; it wasnât like that magic could have kept her from dying.
A song floated on the wind towards him, and he saw that he wasnât completely alone in Alecâs gate, there was a child sitting on the steps of the house, their head bowed, long dark hair curled by their feet. They tapped their feet to the beat of the song they sang, anklets peeking out from the bottom of their skirt.
As he approached the house, the child stirred, and stared at him curiously. He would know those blue eyes anywhere, and as he got closer, could see the few marks inked on her face that only confirmed what he had thoughtâit was Alec, though much younger than he had ever known her.
She smiled, and looked over her shoulder, calling inside the house. âApa, Ama! Come see whatâs outside!â
When no one answered, her smile faltered, and she rose to her feet, disappearing inside. Ravah followed, though the inside of the house was nothing but a long hallway with hundreds of doors. He had been here before too, dozens of times, but it used to be louder. It also used to be brighter. Doors that would have music streaming from them, birds singing, sunlight peeking through the cracks, were now still and dark.
âAma? Apa?â
He caught up to Alec, almost the same height as her as she walked along the hallway. She looked around them, voice pitching with concern, taking in the silence of the doors.
âWhere are you?â
Did she not remember?
Theyâre gone, cub.
âNo, they were just here!â She reached out and grabbed the handle of one of the doors, twisting it in her grip, but the door didnât open. âThey canât be gone, Iââ
She took off running down the hallway, trying to open doors along her way, her bare feet leaving footprints that glowed faintly on the ground behind her. Her anklets chimed as she ran, discordant with her worried cries. Ravah had no choice but to follow, watching tears drip from her eyes and land on the ground, illuminating where they fell.
They came to a stop in front of a door Ravah recognized only now as the shopâs door. Alec reached out and tried to open it, but it wouldnât budge.
âWhy wonât they open?â She turned to face him, round cheeks shining. âTheyâre s-supposed to, arenât they?â
Yes.
âWhy canât I get in?â
I donât know.
Her face scrunched up, and she fell to the ground with a sob, leaning against the door and burying her face in her knees as her shoulders shook. Ravah padded over to her, resting his head against her legs. After a moment, her voice, small and tired, spoke again.
âWhatâs wrong with me?â
What do you mean?
âI donât⌠I donât feel right. My head hurts all the time, and I hear voices, voices I feel like I should know but I donât⌠I canât remember anything.â She peeked out through her hair at him, fresh tears falling. âIâm supposed to know you, too, right? But I donât.â
He nudged under her arm until she let his head poke through, and he licked her nose. She giggled, even if it was quiet, it was a better sound than her sobs had been.
Itâs okay. I know you.
She sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. âYour fur is very soft.â
He huffed. Thank you.
âCan you stay hereâŚâ her small hands gripped his fur a little tighter, âjust for a little bit?â
Of course.
***
âRavah?â
Camiaâs voice stirred him from sleep, ear twitching. He slowly opened his eyes, meeting hers from where she sat on the side of the bed, the sun softly streaming from behind the curtains. Alec was curled around him, her face buried into his fur, and he could feel a wetness on his back from where her tears had landed.
âRavah, how is she?â
Scared. Sheâs confused. And in a lot of pain.
âPain?â Camia looked stricken, and she reached out to put her hand on Alecâs shoulder. âBecause of us?â
He hesitated. It wasnât quite that simple, but he didnât know how to explain it. Before he could try, Camia continued.
âI knew it.â She sounded so tired, so resigned, and she stared at Alec with tears in her eyes. âWhateverâs wrong, weâre not helping. She sleeps so much, and when sheâs awake, sheâs not really here. Sheâs somewhere else. Asra brings her back, sometimes, but then if I tryââ
Alec shifted in her sleep and wrapped herself tighter around Ravah. Camia pulled her hand back, holding it to her chest.
âI donât know what to do.â
You need to have patience.
A voice that wasnât Ravahâs spoke in both his and Camiaâs minds, and he instinctively stiffened as the magic of something that had lived lifetimes over him entered the room.
Camiaâs familiar, a fire salamander named Missy, made their way to the bed, and Camia leaned down to pick them up, setting them on the bed next to Alec.
The salamander looked at Ravah, blinking their round eyes slowly. You decided to come see her after all.
He glanced away, his tail thumping in irritation. Of course. Iâm the only one who really understands her.
A sound like a laugh chimed in his mind, and Missy climbed up Alecâs side to sit on her head, closing their eyes for a moment.
âMissy?â Camiaâs voice was quiet, and she reached out to her familiar.
Patience. She will not recover overnight.
âI know that, but itâs been weeks. Sheâs only woken up a handful of times sinceâŚâ
Missy glowed a cool blue, and magic washed over Alec, relaxing her. She let go of her grip in Ravahâs fur, and he was able to wriggle upright, sitting next to her instead. Though there were still trails of tears on her face, she looked more peaceful, for the moment.
Would you leave us, Marie?
Camia sighed, shoulders slumping, but she nodded. Pressing a quick kiss to Alecâs forehead, she stood, and headed to the door. âPlease let me know if she wakes up.â
Missy hummed in agreement, and then the door was shut. They turned their eyes back onto Ravah, feeling immensely old and infinitely more knowledgeable than he was. It pissed him off, but he respected them too much to say anything.
You visited her gate in her dreams, they said, matter-of-factly.
He still nodded. It was⌠different. But it was still her gate.
Thatâs good.
Good? How? She couldnât go through any of her doors.
Could she still do magic?
He thought of how her tears had glowed down the dark hallway. Something. I wasnât there long enough.
Something is better than nothing. The fact that she can reach her gate at all is a good thing. Missy crawled down Alecâs arm, looking up at her sleeping face. She couldnât even do that when she first woke up.
What⌠He trailed off, studying Alecâs face. What happened to her?
Something dangerous. Something that could have gone much worse, if the young Asra were not so lucky.
Asra?
Missy turned to face the door. Come here, child.
Faust, Asraâs familiar, crept under the door, though she kept her distance from Ravah, curling up on the pillow by Alecâs head.
Tell Ravah what you told me.
The snake hesitated, turning her head between Missy and Ravah before nodding. She explained that there had been a ritual of some kind for the now-late Count Lucio, but it had gone wrong because Asra had tried to sabotage it. And he had sabotaged it for Alec, and he had been successful, but only just in bringing her back to life. The details of the ritual, and the price Asra had paid, and what had gone wrong⌠she didnât know. She explained that Asra didnât even remember most of the ritual, or what he had done. The memories were gone.
You felt her heart, Iâm sure, Missy said, when Faust had finished.
Her heart⌠itâs different.
They nodded. Thatâs Asraâs heart. Whether this was the full price or not, I do not know, but he gave half his heart to bring her back.
Ravah couldnât even try to wrap his head around that, so he didnât. What does that mean?
It means she responds better to him than the rest of her family, or even you. Those two are intertwined now. It also means she will recover, she will get better as long as he is here, for now, but the rest of usâŚ
He looked at Alecâs face, still sleeping, and didnât need Missy to finish to know what they meant. The rest of them were not helping.
With that knowledge in his mind, Ravah stayed at the shop, studying her and the rest of the band.
Over the next handful of months, she slowly started to wake up more often, and stay awake longer, but she wouldnât interact with the rest of them. Or couldnât, Ravah wasnât sure.
The shop thrummed with tension most days, and it felt like there was not an afternoon that there wasnât some sort of argument between the other humans about what they should do. Ravah did not pay attention to most of the arguments. He didnât care what they decided on. He only cared about Alec recovering.
And, bit by bit, it seemed like she was. But she would step back just as suddenly, with almost no warning.
One night, he found himself in her dreams again.
He saw the house again, and Alec sitting on the steps again, but she was different this time.
She looked more like she had when he met her, adolescent anger coursing through her veins, and she groaned as he approached, falling back to lie flat out on the ground. When he leaned over her, she stuck her tongue out at him.
âYou were here last time, too.â
You remember?
âI remember you lecturing me.â She rolled onto her stomach and traced a circle in the sand as her legs kicked behind her. âSomething about having a strong mind toââ her voice deepened to mimic his, ââbreak even the strongest of hearts. But I donât have a strong mind, I just have an average, scattered mind, andâ"
She continued to complain, but Ravah stopped listening. He thought back. She wasnât referring to the last time he saw her, no, it seemed more like she was remembering one of the times they had trained. Which was an improvement, of sorts. It was a memory.
He interrupted her. You do have a strong mind.
âDoesnât feel like it.â Alec grumbled, sitting up. She tossed her short ponytail over her shoulder. âYou said itâs important for me to know whatâs in my mind when I do my magic, or I could end up hurting someone. But I donât know whatâs in my mind. I barely feel like Iâm in my own mind anymore.â She pulled her knees to her chest. âMy own thoughts feel like theyâre someone elseâs.â
What kind of thoughts?
âLikeâŚâ she sighed, holding her hand out, and they both watched as she pulled water from the air, gathering and spinning it in her palm. âLike Iâm not supposed to be here. I feel wrong. And thereâs⌠I mean, even my heart doesnât feel entirely like mine. But that doesnât make sense.â
Ravah thought back to Asra, and what Missy had told him. You are supposed to be here. You were brought here for a reason, and you are not wrong for it.
Alec frowned and shook the water off her hand. âHow do you know?â She stood, and he felt the air around them shift, her eyes glowing a brighter blue than they had been a moment ago. âHow do you know anything about me?â
He knew what she was doingâhe had watched her throw enough tantrums when they were both much younger to recognize the frustration in her voice as wind picked up around them, whipping her skirt around her legs. It always had the same root; she felt lost, angry, but more than that, she was scared. She wouldnât admit to it then, when the strength of her power washed over her, and she wouldnât admit to it now, but she was terrified. And she only knew how to lash outâshe didnât know how to ask for help.
Back then, he would get frustrated too, for as mature as he liked to act, and for how much Fiasharya teased him about it, he wasnât very old at all. He had met Alec when he was still a cub, still raw with fury over the way he had been treated from birth, and he knew he didnât teach her the way she needed him to. But it was different nowâhe was different now.
Even if this version of Alec was the same, he could help her now, and she needed him.
As the wind lifted her from the ground, her hair coming loose and flowing around her, he sat and looked up at her, humming a song, a lullaby, that she had taught him a long time ago. She had taught it to him a few years after they met, when she startled awake from a nightmare filled with fire and smoke. He didnât need to see all of her dreams now to know she still had the same nightmares, only much more vivid, if the way she often woke up trying to throw her sheets off in tears meant anything.
As he hummed, her eyes flashed, the intensity of the blue glow hiding even her pupils. âS-stop it.â He didnât, and saw her face crumble, tears slipping down her cheeks, though the wind continued to howl. âStop it!â
Reaching up, he took her hand in his mouth gently, pulling her back down, and she let him. It wasnât until she sat on the ground, slumped over herself, that the wind died, and he laid down with his head in her lap.
A tear landed on his nose, and he sniffed. As she spoke, Alecâs thumb stroked the side of his face. âHow did you know that song?â
You taught it to me.
âI donâtâŚâ She sighed. âI donât even remember how I know that song.â
He glanced up at her. She looked so lost, so small, not unlike the younger version of herself he had seen the last time in her dreams. You said your parents taught it to you. That they would sing you to sleep with it when you were very small. It helped keep away the bad dreams.
âWhat were they like?â
He, truthfully, didnât know. Alec had never spoken much about them, it brought her too much pain. But there was one thing he did know about them, that he could see from the way she had cared for herself and her family, the way she had cared for everyone she met. They loved you very much.
***
This time, when he woke up, it was Leon sitting on the bed next to Alec, running their fingers through her hair. They were humming the same song he had in her dreams, and he knew that she had taught it to them as well. When he shifted in his spot, they stopped, but kept twirling her hair between their fingers. âWas it a bad dream?â
He sat up, studying Alecâs face. She seemed more relaxed, sleeping without a furrow in her brows, though she was still sleeping.
Not anymore.
âGood.â They paused, hand stilling. âShe still doesnât remember us?â
No.
âHm.â Leon hid their emotions well, when they wanted to, but they couldnât hide the disappointment they felt. âI thought you might be helping her somehow.â
I am. But thereâs something in the way.
âDo you⌠Do you think we should leave?â
Leave?
They sighed, propping their chin in their hand. âSheâs not⌠not getting better, is she. And every time she wakes up, she canât stand to be around us. Just Asra. And IâŚâ Frowning, they shook their head. âI just donât think thereâs anything more we can do for her right now.â
Ravah didnât answer them, but they took that as answer enough.
âJamil wouldnât hear of it, though,â they grumbled. âHe wonât hear of anything, these days. Heâs convinced that we need to be here. And itâs not⌠not like I donât want to be here. I donât want to leave her either, but he, he wonât listen.â
Ravah huffed. He will need to, sooner or later.
âYeah.â Leon stood. âLetâs hope sooner over later, huh?â
Soon wasnât soon enough for Ravah, as every day afterwards seemed to be the same conversation. Camia thought they should leave, and now Leon was starting to think that way as well, but Jamil refused to even entertain the idea. Even as Camia tried to explain, he wouldnât listen.
She held her head in her hands, sitting on the couch in the back room. âYouâre not listening to me, Jamilââ
Jamil was pacingâhe was always pacing now, Ravah noticed. âBecause youâre not making any sense, Iâ"
Ravah got up from his spot at the bottom of the shop stairs, padding back up to sit in Alecâs room. She was sitting up, more awake than she had been, but stayed looking out the window as he approached, and didnât even stir as he placed his head in her lap. He huffed, and her hand fit between his ears, stroking him slowly. It was more on instinct than anything, as she still wasnât looking at him, but that was enough.
A moment later, Asra entered, eyes red. He walked over to the bed, carrying a bowl of something smelling strongly enough that it caught Alecâs attention, and she pulled her gaze from the window to look at Asra.
He handed her the bowl, a small smile on his face. âBrought you some food; I helped Jamil make it this morning.â
Whatever it was, it smelled heavily of spices and made Ravah put his paw over his nose, glaring at Asra.
The magician laughed lightly, petting Ravahâs back once. âSorry. Itâs a bit strong.â
Alec ate in silence, but she seemed to listen to Asra as he spoke, eyes not as distant as they had been before. A pang of jealousy shot through Ravah, annoyed that she responded to Asra but not to him, but then he reminded himself that it was the furthest thing from intentional and sighed to himself.
Her moment of clarity was not long lived, as the moment Asra stood and left the room, she was distant again. Ravah didnât understand it, but he knew she didnât either.
A few months later, right before they all left, he visited her in her dreams again.
She was standing outside of her parentâs house still, but she was older now, older than she had been when they first met. When he made it to her side, she put her hand between his ears, petting him gently.
âRavah.â
He was surprised to hear her say his name and turned his head up at her. Yes?
She wasnât looking at him, but out on the horizon, eyes distant. âWill you look after them for me?â
Do you remember them?
âNo.â She paused, a tear slipping down her cheek. âI donâtâIâm not sure. Somethingâs there, but I just, I canât see it yet. But theyâre in pain, arenât they? Because of me?â
Again, he hesitated. It just wasnât that simple.
âI know Asra. I may not remember him, but I know him. And I know you, even if when I wake up, I wonât remember you either. But, whenever I try to think about them, thereâs justâitâs like a wall in my mind, and Iâm not strong enough to break it down. Not yet.â
Alecâs voice caught in her chest, and she knelt down to bury her face in his fur. âI donât want them to go. I know enough that theyâre supposed to be here. And itâs notââ He felt tears fall on his back and turned his head to nuzzle hers. âItâs not fair that I wonât even remember telling you this when I wake up. But Iâm not getting any better.â
She was silent for a moment, then she asked him again.
âWill you look after them?â
I will.
She sighed, wrapped her arms around his neck. âThank you.â
***
Jamil, of course, took the longest to convince to leave. But when he finally understood that there was nothing they could do, they left within the week.
Ravah wasnât even sure what had been the final straw, all he knew was that Alec had an awful relapse, and it had managed to finally strike that chord with Jamil that they all needed to leave, both of them reduced to tears. So, nine months after she had first woken up, Jamil, Camia, and Leon left the shop, Asra, Vesuvia, and Alec.
He followed them into the Catclaw Desert, where they found a hut, smaller than the shop, and made it a home. Though, they still argued.
Now, Jamil argued that they had to do something to help Alec. That they had to find a way to get her memories back, even without her. Camia and Leon didnât agree. However, after a few months of arguing, it seemed like Jamil had given up.
Ravah was not so easily fooled. He knew just how stubborn Jamil could be. The rest of them thought Alec had gotten her stubbornness from Leon. However, theirs was a selfish stubbornness. Jamilâsâand Alecâsâwas almost self-righteous, which was infinitely more infuriating to him.
So, when Fish woke him one morning, feathers ruffled and crying that Jamil had left, Ravah was not surprised.
He had promised Alec he would look after them, and that was what he planned on doing. He walked past Camia, who looked between two directions, sighed, and stepped back into the hut, her head in her hands. There were three sets of footprints in the sand. Hers, which went no more than a few feet from the door. Jamilâs, which headed north, and Ravah could still smell him on the wind, not too far for him to keep up behind. And the last set of prints, presumably Leonâs, went the opposite direction, and abruptly stopped, the smell of their magic radiating from them.
Ravah went north.
As he made his way further from the hut, reaching the last dune that would hide it from his sight, he looked back. He watched clouds start to gather in the distance, the opposite direction from where he was heading, sand whirling in a funnel. In the middle of the funnel, he saw a familiar shape, long hair whipping around with the wind, air crackling with magic, and heard a howl echo over the desert, sharp with pain and anger, so much so that he felt it in his bones.
Ravah faced forward again, and over the top of the next dune, saw the shape of Jamil heading away, oblivious to the hurt he was leaving behind. Or uncaring, and Ravah wasnât sure which was worse.
Nevertheless, he still followed after him. Leon, Camia, and Fiasharya could all handle themselves. They didnât need him. Jamil did. As much as Ravah had never particularly cared for him, Alec didâmaybe more so than she cared for anyone else, even if the difference between her care for him and the others was slight.
So, he would follow Jamil, and look after him, like he promised Alec he would. And one day, when she was ready, he would lead himself and Jamil back to her, back to where they all belonged.
Ravah is Alecâs familiar, and he is a Maned Wolf
Acts like he's been around for centuries, but heâs younger than Alec (she doesnât know that)
He has his own powerful magic, focused around his bark â and this is how he was able to help train Alecâs vocal magic as well
Doesnât like humans, period. Alec is the only exception, but he tolerates the rest of the band (and Asra) to an extent
Very grumpy âoldâ man
Doesnât like the other familiars listed here or any of the Main 6, but he does respect Inanna, so long as she keeps a comfortable distance (he has only met Missy once, but respects them as well)
In the current game timeline, he travels with Jamil on his quest to get Alecâs memories back, and generally reunites with her at the same time as he does post-game
You can read his official introduction post here!
Fiasharya (or Fish, for short) is Leonâs familiar, and she is a Bearded Vulture
Around the same age as Leon, but she still calls him her baby
Very very social! Loves humans! Not as intimidating as she looks!
Please pet her head or scratch her chin, she makes a pretty trilling noise
She doesnât have her own magic, but acts as a storage unit for all of Leonâs excess magic, which she can access for herself if needed (but since sheâs a bird, she doesnât really need his magic to fly)
She likes all of the Main 6 familiars, and has a lot of respect for Missy, but she canât stand Ravah (and he canât stand her either)
In the current timeline, she lives with Leon and Camia at Camiaâs hut in the Catclaw desert, but will occasionally leave to check on Jamil during his travels or Alec in the city
Whenever Jamil comes back to Camiaâs hut with Ravah, the two will end up in an argument. A loud one. Leon is the only one who can hear them both, so he usually has to come outside and yell at them before he goes crazy
You can read her official introduction post here!
Missy is Camiaâs familiar, and she/they is a Fire Salamander
Very, very oldâitâs said Camiaâs great-grandfather found her when he was a child, and heâs been dead for a while...
But youâd never be able to guess from how alert she acts
Their magic is fire-based, their spots change color depending on the intensity of the temperature, and as they heat up, the spots expand, covering their whole body until they cool back down
She only speaks with Camia, but can communicate through emotions with Alec, Asra, and Leon, and does quite like humans, especially children, magic or not!
They are generally revered by the other familiars that come in contact with them, and has a great deal of patience for the younger ones (like M&M)
In the current timeline, they are the stove salamander that lives in the shop with Alec and Asra â she gets along with Faust and loves the two magicians
You can read their official introduction post here!
Meet Alecâs familiar Ravah, a Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)
Maned Wolves arenât wolves, or foxes, or dogs, or coyotesâthey are entirely their own species
Technically they only live up to around 12 years (in captivity) but familiars are magic and Iâm taking creative liberty to say he lives a very long time
Ravah stands at about three-and-a-half feet tall, but would easily be as tall or taller than Alec when standing on his hind legs
Has a burnt orange coat with black strip running down his back and a dark nose
His bark which is also a roar is very startling to those not used to hearing it (seriously itâs the coolest sound)
Extremely solitary creatures, Maned Wolves do not form packsâRavah is no exception and prefers to travel alone, though he followed the band around (always a few hundred yards behind) for about 6 years
Alec first met him in the Clouded Mountains outside of Prakra when she was about 16 years oldâshe was practicing her singing in the early hours of the morning when the rest of the band was asleep and heard Ravahâs roar-bark echoing across the plains (I wonât go into too much detail as I want to write a fic about their first meeting)
Unlike most familiars, Ravah does not live with Alec or even stay near her for most of their lives
He refuses to ever enter a human city, so whenever Alec and the band would stop in a city or town he would stalk the borders until they left
During the game timeline, he is traveling with Jamil, both of them avoiding Vesuvia as much as possible
That being said, Ravah does join Alec in Murielâs route, always following behind at a distance for the weeks they spend traveling.
She does not remember him, but he remembers her and he does what he can in the fight against Lucioâkeeping any villains away from her and Muriel as they travel back to Vesuvia
In every other route him seeing her depends on when Alec meets up with Jamil again
Very very powerful magic, a bark is usually enough to knock a person over if intended to do so but he will bring out the teeth and claws if needed (and his opponents rarely walk away from a fight unharmed)
He likes ear scratches but only from Alec. Leon if heâs feeling generous. Camia doesnât care to try and Jamil wants to but almost lost a hand the last time he tried
Jamil is allowed to pet Ravah once they are the only two traveling together, as they both miss Alec in similar ways, though Jamil canât hear Ravah speak
Has a very âold soulâ
Is extremely judgmental of Alecâs significant others and it will take him a very long time to warm up to them or any of her friendsâdonât take it personally, he only has a high enough tolerance level for about 4 humans and Jamil constantly pushes the limit
Ravah may seem quite aloof and uncaring, but is willing to do anything for Alec whether she knows it or not (and she does)